Hassan had argued that many Nigerians were unaware of the emergency service, which he likened to similar systems used in countries such as the United States.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, came under fire from the Nigerian public after his attempt to demonstrate the functionality of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number failed during a live television interview.
Appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s programme hosted by Seun Okinbaloye on Tuesday, he challenged the anchor to dial 112, Nigeria’s emergency telephone number, to demonstrate that the service was operational.
Hassan, who was trying to justify why President Bola Tinubu deserved another term in office, argued that many Nigerians were unaware of the emergency service, which he likened to similar systems used in countries such as the United States.
“Take your phone and call 112. Nobody knows about this. We used to hear about it in America. Put it on speaker, Seun. Welcome to Nigeria,” he said.
However, the demonstration did not go as expected, as the call failed to connect.
Reacting to the unsuccessful attempt, Okinbaloye questioned the functionality of the emergency service and linked the development to what he described as the administration’s unfulfilled promises.
“It’s not working. Maybe this is one of you people’s promises that is not fully functional. You have a long list of non-functional promises,” the interviewer said.
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Responding, Hassan appeared to acknowledge the setback but maintained that the government needed additional time to fulfil its promises.
“This is why we are asking for more time,” he said.
After a video of the interview made the rounds online, Nigerians took to the comment section to lambast Hassan for trying to gaslight listeners.
Some internet users mocked him, saying the emergency operators had “gone to bed” or only operated “from 12:00 noon to 12:00 noon,” while others asked whether calling 112 could provide citizens with food or fuel.
Also condemning Hassan’s narrative, a Facebook user identified as Shamsudeen Mohammed Tatah stated that turning an emergency line into a “political performance” does not make citizens safer, arguing that Nigerians need functioning security systems rather than “publicity stunts”.
However, amid the widespread reports of failure, a few Nigerians backed Hassan, stating that the service worked in their specific areas.
An X user (@OTGnija) reported that a call to 112 went through in Umuahia, Abia State, while a Facebook commenter (Atsonka Albert) claimed they had previously used the line to mobilise road safety and police officers to a gridlock near Abacha Barracks on Nyanya Road within 10 minutes.
